UNK social work students gain confidence, real-world skills through partnership with Goodwill – UNK News

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By TYLER ELLYSON
UNK Communications

GRAND ISLAND – The presentation started with an icebreaker.

What are two things you’d bring with you to survive on a desert island?

One by one, the individuals seated around a large table at Goodwill Industries of Greater Nebraska gave their answers.

Water. Food. Sunscreen. A boat. My cat. Monster Energy drinks.

This hypothetical and somewhat humorous scenario led to a more serious conversation.

University of Nebraska at Kearney seniors Zane Frank and Aria Carson were there to talk about time management and prioritization.

Life can be chaotic, Carson told the group gathered for Goodwill’s behavioral health services day program. That’s why it’s important to identify priorities and focus on the things that promote a healthy lifestyle and positive mental well-being.

The program participants – all individuals living with a mental illness or substance use disorder – immediately connected with the UNK students. They shared stories and laughs, turning the presentation into a conversation about sobriety, family relationships, household chores and the acceptable amount of time to play video games.

For Frank and Carson, their 45 minutes leading the support group couldn’t have gone any better.

“In a group setting, you kind of know there’s going to be conversation, and that’s what should be happening,” Frank said. “It’s not just us talking at people. We were really hoping to share a message they could resonate with and give them tools they can take home and actually use.”

As part of an upper-level course taught by senior lecturer Nadine Stuehm, a total of 16 students from the UNK Department of Social Work developed presentations focusing on topics such as conflict and time management, relationship-building, effective communication, confidence/self-esteem and mindfulness.

After some fine-tuning in the classroom, each team traveled to Grand Island to work directly with the people served by Goodwill.

That kind of experience can’t be replicated on campus, according to Stuehm.

“Each team started by presenting in class, but that’s the easy part,” she said. “It’s such an artificial setting because they’re all working with each other and they all want to be cooperative. I wanted them to have the opportunity to be out in the real world doing what real groups do.”

Frank and Carson both admit they were a little nervous ahead of time, but that feeling didn’t last long.

“Your first three years of college, you’re kind of just in the classroom and you talk about things, but now we’re finally seeing that this is real and there are people out there who could use this support,” said Carson, a Kearney High School graduate. “It’s been really cool to see firsthand the impact we can have.”

“This allows us to directly apply what we’ve been learning for the past couple years in a real-life scenario, and I’m thankful that Nadine finds ways for us to do that,” added Frank, an Omaha native. “She keeps saying that she’ll never let us fail, and I really believe that.”

Most of the students in the social work class are seniors who will graduate in May, so these hands-on experiences serve as a steppingstone as they prepare for their internships and future careers.

“Overwhelmingly, they all said they now have confidence in their ability to lead groups and they have confidence in their ability to work with people,” Stuehm noted. “I saw that during the group sessions, and I definitely heard it on the way home.”

Students from the UNK social work program have completed internships with Goodwill Industries of Greater Nebraska in the past, and representatives from the nonprofit organization speak during classes, but this is the first time Lopers have led programming there as part of a course project.

Heather Bradley, who manages the behavioral health services program, believes it’s a great addition to the partnership that benefits everyone involved.

“The students did a wonderful job. They’re all very well prepared. And the individuals love it, too,” said Bradley, who graduated from the UNK social work program in 2008.

“Sometimes it’s nice to break the normal routine that we have,” she added. “They love hearing from new people and learning about different topics. You can tell because they’re still talking about how much they enjoyed when the students came in.”

The best indicator of the program’s success came when Frank and Carson finished their presentation.

Before they left the room, one woman asked, “Can you guys come back again?”

That’s the plan.